On The Brink with Castle Island

Matt and Nic return for deals and news of the week. In this episode:  Chainalysis Geography of Crypto adoption Jamie Dimon comes out against crypto – again Our vote for Time Person of the year The AICPA announces their stablecoin attestation framework Do Kwon is being extradited to the US Nubank is getting into crypto Rep McHenry is retiring Content mentioned in this episode: Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index It’s all a Game by Colleen Sullivan Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics STATE OF THE NETWORK—State of Stablecoins:Signs of Returning Liquidity In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 236, we look into stablecoin supply, usage, adoption and key trends in market evolution

Kim Grauer, director of research at Chainalysis, joins the show to talk about their 2023 Geography of Crypto Adoption report. In this episode:  The difficulty of ascertaining reliable illicit finance data for crypto Why Chainalysis started publishing the Geography of Crypto report Why emerging markets dominate in terms of crypto adoption How Chainalysis devised their methodology What the variables in their index mean Potential sources of error or noise in the data How Chainalysis overlays internet traffic data with blockchain data to determine usage on a country by country basis Top countries on the index and changes from prior years Evidence for cryptodollarization What variables correlate with crypto adoption globally Countries with positive year/year growth in crypto adoption Content mentioned in this episode: Chainalysis, The 2023 Global Crypto Adoption Index

Ruud Smets and Marc de Kloe, partners at Theta Capital, bring their wealth of knowledge in hedge funds and blockchain investments to the discussion. They explore Theta's venture into blockchain funds and the educational efforts needed for institutional investors. The pair dives into the significance of fund capacity and co-investment strategies. They share insights on emerging trends for 2024 and elaborate on the impact of the Legends4Legends charity conference, merging investment with philanthropy.

The podcast covers topics such as the SEC's investigation into Binance US, in-kind versus cash creations for ETFs, the FDIC scandal, the future of GBTC, Elizabeth Warren's criticism of Subway, and the influence of Gary Gensler. They also discuss recent fundraising deals, legal issues with Binance, inflation and corporate greed, the artificial smell of Subway stores, and frustrations with the SEC regarding Bitcoin ETFs.

Vivek Ramaswamy is a Republican candidate for President in 2024. In this episode we sit down to dig into his crypto policy proposals:  Vivek’s keynote in Ft Worth Vivek’s crypto platform and how that derives from his convictions Vivek’s view on Bitcoin mining Is Choke Point 2.0 real? Is banking a utility? ‘Choke Point 6.0’ and how it goes beyond just crypto and banking Does the suppression of speech have a technological solution? Can public blockchains actually be supportive of the US Dollar? Further resources: Vivek2024.com Vivek’s Speech in Ft. Worth: “Three Freedoms of Crypto Policy”

Matt and Nic return for a Thanksgiving episode. In this edition:  Fidelity files for an ETH spot ETF The SEC sues Kraken Javier Milei wins – and prospects for dollarization Stablecoins versus dollar liabilities in emerging markets Prediction markets do well in the Argentine election We digest the OpenAI scandal and reflect on corporate governance Do we need a new McCarthyism directed at effective altruists? CZ settles with the DoJ and the CFTC over BSA and OFAC violations Binance appears to be solvent thanks to their Proof of Reserve Where the Binance settlement leaves the industry Tether supply hits $88b Bhutan is mining bitcoin Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics STATE OF THE NETWORK— Checking On-Chain Indicators for Green Shoots in the Digital Assets Market In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 234 we present a selection of indicators that offer us insights against the backdrop of a recent surge in valuations within the digital assets ecosystem.

We sit down with Mike Cahill, CEO of Douro labs, to talk Pyth’s retroactive airdrop and launch. In this episode: A brief history of Pyth What was the problem with legacy oracles before Pyth How is Pyth is technically differentiated from other oracles The importance of introducing confidence intervals into prices How does Pyth achieves cross chain data delivery Disintermediation in the oracle market Major proof points that convinced Mike that Pyth could work Pyth’s traction on various chains Which blockchains Pyth does particularly well on Mike addresses the ‘collusion FUD’? Why Pyth oracles are not like LIBOR How the Pyth retrospective airdrop works What’s happening with Pyth governance on a go forward basis? Further reading:  Pyth, How the Retrospective Airdrop works On The Brink ep. 364, Solving The Oracle Problem

Matt and Nic are back with another week of news and deals. In this episode:  Tail risks with the Bitcoin ETF Are SBF’s parents off the hook? The FDIC is embroiled in scandal Should Marty Gruenberg step down? Tokenized bank deposits versus stablecoins What’s wrong with the third party doctrine SAB121 under pressure Content mentioned in this episode: Fidelity Digital Assets, Understanding Proof of Work The WSJ, Strip Clubs, Lewd Photos and a Boozy Hotel: The Toxic Atmosphere at Bank Regulator FDIC Whip Emmer Letter to Treasury regarding Hamas crypto financing Sponsor notes: Coin Metrics STATE OF THE NETWORK—November Rally Reaches New Corners of the Digital Asset Market In Coin Metrics State of the Network Issue 233, we delve into the primary beneficiaries of the recent market rally and explore diverse avenues channelling this momentum

The boys join forces with Alex Thorn of Galaxy Brains for a special live episode at the Pubkey bar in NYC. In this episode:  Galaxy's Beimnet Abebe joins for market color Bloomberg's James Seyffart opinions on Bitcoin ETF prospects  The WSJ/Hamas affair Audience Q&A  With special thanks to the Galaxy team for organizing and Thomas Pacchia for hosting

Anthony DeMartino, the co-founder and CEO of Trident Digital joins the show. In this episode we discuss: Anthony’s background in the banking industry and his path to founding Trident Digital. Digital asset lending markets and how Trident is innovating in this category. Trident’s US Treasury product and how he is going to market. The state of the U.S. banking system and the status of the FDIC insurance fund. The potential impact of Commercial Real Estate on the banking sector. Chokepoint 2.0 and the regulatory landscape in the USA. To learn more about Trident Digital visit their website.